Before heading out, I made myself a mocha green monster smoothie.
The smoothie contained:
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
- 1 packet Starbucks via instant coffee
- 1 large handful of spinach
- 4 ice cubes
- 3/4 c. milk
It didn’t look pretty, but it sure tasted good!
Morning Hike
After a 30-minute car ride, we arrived at the state park. It was pretty deserted, with only a small donation box signaling the entrance. This was very different from Weikwa Springs, the state park where we usually take Sadie hiking, where people greet you and there’s a bunch of people everywhere enjoying the springs, hiking and exploring.
We were literally the only ones there!
About 20 minutes into the hike, we spotted a ginormous banana spider!
Talk about unnerving! After spotting that monster, we were on the lookout for its family members for the rest of the hike.
We hiked along, sticking to the “white blaze” trail.
Sadie was thoroughly enjoying herself. Every 10 minutes or so, she’d take off running, chasing a bird or bug.
As we continued walking, we came upon several divides in the trail. The trail map said for us to stick to the white trail, only there were white markings on tress on each side of the divide.
We chose one direction and walked for a mile or so before deciding we probably selected the wrong trail. We got a little turned around, but felt much better when Ryan found another divide with a big, white marking on one of the trees.
Victory!
Our hike continued and we couldn’t help but compare the trails at Rock Springs Run with the trails at Weikwa. These trails were very sandy and not shady in the least. We definitely prefer the Weikwa trails.
Perhaps our biggest complaint was the obscure markings along the trail. We got lost a number of times and said that if we ever come back to hike these trails, we’re bringing bread crumbs like Hansel and Gretel to ensure we’re able to find our way back.
Getting lost a couple of times was a little unsettling since there were so many different trails we could take along the hike and lots of signs warning us about bears as we entered the park.
Fortunately there was no shortage of pretty foliage to enjoy.
Getting lost required us to get a little dirty to try to find our way on more than one occasion.
We’re so scrappy. 😉
Though the trails were mostly sunny, we were able to find some shade to stop for a water break about three miles into our hike.
I figured this hiking trip would be the perfect time to test out the Thermos vacuum insulated water bottle I received from the company to review.
The literature that came with the bottle claimed it would keep liquids cold for hours.
I was a little skeptical when I took my first gulp…
…but the water was COLD. Like just-out-of-the-fridge cold. I don’t like lukewarm water, so I was ecstatic to have ice cold water to enjoy in the 90+ degree heat.
After hearing me rave about my cold water, Ryan ditched his temperate water and got in on the action, too.
Oh-so-refreshing.
Our hike continued on and Ryan saw two wild boars! They were elusive creatures and by the time I got my camera out, they were gone. 🙁
We also saw BEAR tracks. I guess those signs weren’t lying.
That’s a bear footprint, right?
Luckily we didn’t cross paths with a bear during our hike, but we DID see a bear as we were driving out of the park. Crazy, huh? It was a small(ish) black bear and we just about flipped out when we saw it. Like the boars, the bear was quite elusive and ducked into the brush before I could snap a picture.
As we headed home Ryan and I both felt a little hungry and swung by McDonald’s for a chocolate banana milkshake to share.
It was a little too banana-y for me. I think I was more in the mood for a plain chocolate shake, but that didn’t stop me from downing my fair share.
Now it’s lunch time!
Ryan and I also HAVE to work on our wedding invites today. They’re not gonna assemble themselves after all!
Check ya lata! 😀
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
Looks like you’ve had a great day so far!
Getting lost seems scary! And even scarier is that HUGE spider! Ick!
Have fun today! 🙂
honestly, i WAS a little scared. especially after we saw the bear footprint. i don’t think we’ll be returning to those trails anytime soon! i was also worried for sadie! i mean, what the heck were we gonna do if something tried to run after her???
Ohmygosh! I can’t believe you saw a bear!
I don’t know why, but I’ve never thought to add coffee to my green monsters before. I’ll have to give it a try! 🙂
Aww, looks like a great start to your day!!! Love getting workouts out of the way in the morning (though I rarely do and end up doing them in the evening when I have the most energy) and a hike seems like the perfect weekend workout!
Athough I don’t think my little pup could handle a walk that long! heh
Happy Sunday!
Laur
I loooove hiking/trail walking/being in nature in general! It’s such good exercise and a nice change from the usual workout routine!
Wow…. that sounds like a crazy place!
Not gonna lie… a chocolate milkshake from McDonald’s sounds pretty fabulous.
That hike sounds so fun! Especially since it’s a long weekend it’s fun to get out and do something like that. We’re having really great weather these days so soak it up while it lasts!
That looks likes a wild place, spiders and bears! Eek!
I had no idea there were bears in Florida! Yikes!
I am going to make that smoothie tommorow morning! I never thought of using both coffee and spinach! I know for sure that bananas+ chocolate are without a doubt going to be DELICIOUS. Thats really interesting with all 3 combined- definitely going to give that a shot! =)
I love the jumping pic!!! Get to work on those invites!!! I can’t wait to see photos!!! 🙂
How much fun!
that park looks pretty! and it’s crazy that you saw all those animals… .:)
Getting lost would freak me out! Glad you made your way back safely. 🙂
a banana spider! looks more like a pickle spider to me 😀
that’s crazy you saw all of that wildlife! i’ve never seen any of that out here in the wild 🙂
I heard boars are really mean so I’m glad they didn’t chase you… or Sadie! I always worry more about my dog then me when we go walking, because I feel like she would be more likely to fight other then walk away, and that would end up in her getting hurt.
Bears in Florida?!? Woah! Enjoy the rest of your beautiful day 😀
I definitely would not want to run into a bear!
I hope the rest of your day is just as fun.
That mocha green monster sounds good! And your hike sounds like quite the adventure!
I ran into a bear once while hiking and it turned toward us. I was with my friend and we both sprinted down the mountain faster than I’ve ever ran in my entire life. It was quite an experience. I still get a bit scared about going hiking to this day.
Gigantic banana spiders are one thing I definitely do NOT miss about Florida! The trail looks beautiful, though!
You are seriously too cute!! 🙂
I love hikes but can’t stand bad trails. They always unnerve me because of my already bad sense of direction. I picture helicopters having to find us and all sorts of crazy things. LOL
I love hiking! I wish we had more hiking trails here. It sounds like you three had a lot of fun even if the trails were a bit sketchy.
Made the mocha green monster for breakfast this morning. First time adding coffee; by far my favourite combination! delish.